I actually like vampire movies and the new one coming out with Johnny Depp looks like a hoot. On the morning in question, I had just finished watching an installment of Being Human. It’s a British, dark comedy about a vampire, werewolf and ghost that share a home and various adventures. The writing is great and they mix the odd chuckle with some pretty realistic gore, to make it both interesting and a near believable premise.

So, I’m fresh off the vampire story and enter the elevator on the 23^rd floor. I pass on a casual greeting to the young man standing in the corner, texting, head down, as is the case with just about anybody under 30 riding the elevators. I’ve gotten in the habit of striking up a conversation when I’m in this situation and mentioned to the chap dressed in black, long and lean, dark hair and fair complexion, “You could have just walked out of the vampire movie I was watching”. My better half would have kicked me in the shins for that comment… but she wasn’t there.

Without skipping a beat, the young man said “thank you” and I could see a bit of a smile as he continued texting. We arrived at the ground floor and he exited but not before looking me straight in the eyes to say goodbye. His eyes where all black, no colour whatsoever. I have to tell you, it threw me for a loop for a minute or two, as I continued my elevator ride to the parking garage.

I understand he had some kind of contact lenses but it did make me think. What if, along with everything else we deal with on a daily basis, we had to be on the ready to fend off vampire and werewolf attacks? It would certainly put our current challenges in perspective.

Lee’s quote for the day

“Ever feel like you’re in the Bill Murray movie, Groundhog Day? That’s probably a good sign to change things up but do me a favour and don’t do the vampire thing…once is enough.” 

Every company had logo standards and PMT sheets and then of course you would have to match those PMS standards to vinyl swatches for decaling vehicles, thread swatches for embroidery and so on. What a nightmare. The truth is there were so many variables in the resulting colours that it almost made the whole process redundant. Letterhead stock printed different than glossy brochure stock, process colours printed differently than spot colours. The whole deal caused many a sleepless night for marketing professionals.

Although this system continues as the standard today, most work is produced in 4 colour process. The varying percentage combinations of black, cyan, magenta and yellow can reproduce millions of colour combinations. The pre press cost of reproducing materials is a fraction of what it was when I started in the business in the late eighties. The actual cost of printing is similar, while the cost of stock is at least twice as high.

Most of the wrinkles have been ironed out over the years but a couple of things still remain. Along with the various PMS numbers there are a few primary colours that do not require mixing. They gave these colours a name instead of a number, like pantone red, warm red, pantone yellow and reflex blue. Reflex blue is still the worst colour on the planet for reproduction. It never dries without a varnish, it likes to turn purple without warning, so if you’re still using that one…do yourself a favour and heave ho( or simply revise your reflex blue to PMS 286, no one will notice and it reproduces more consistently).

The moral of the story…when you’re picking or revisiting your corporate colours ask your agency these 5 basic questions before deciding:

1. How does it reproduce in 4 colour process?
2. How does it compare on coated and uncoated papers?
3. Are there thread colours and vinyl colours that match closely to it?
4. What are the variations of logo colours and proportions you can use across various applications?
5. What fonts should be used in conjunction with your new corporate standards?

Lee’s quote for the day

“The beauty about rules and standards is that you need to create them knowing they will be broken. If you have a champion to enforce them, they will just be broken to a lesser degree.” 

We’ve grown and are at the point
that we need to add more structure and streamline our processes. We provide a great service but I believe we can reach higher.

We’ve hired a champion whose expertise is project management and we are starting down the road once more, to elevate
the performance of our company.

What I’ve learned from past experience will help us on this journey. For anyone else looking at this, here are 5 common sense tips as a reboot for you… and myself:

1. Don’t introduce too much change at once. Make one new behavior a habit before implementing the next
2. Don’t create process to address the exceptions. It will bog you down unnecessarily. Focus on the 80% that drives your business on a daily basis and address the things that fall outside the norm individually
3. Appoint the right person to manage change.  Give that person the authority they need to make things happen
4. Communicate. Communicate. Communicate. Try to have quick stand up meetings that address details as they come up. Get to the bottom line, make decisions and move on. Addressing the issue when it’s fresh is the way to go. Avoid long, merry go round meetings that accomplish nothing
5. Find a way to pull out people’s strengths. If you have a great thinker that is lousy at follow up, get someone else on the follow up and let your thinker, think. Too often we focus on what’s wrong with someone, not what’s right

Lee’s quote for the day

“We can always improve and turn disappointment into opportunity. A healthy first step is consciously flipping that internal switch from ‘I Can’t’ to ‘I Can, I Will and I Must’. More importantly, down the road when the circuit breaks (and it will), flip it on again and again and again…” 

You can say change is like… well… change. It’s all around you; piled in your vehicles’ cup holders, filled in a glass on your office desk, jingling in your pockets or spread across your home in dishes, drawers and under couch cushions. Left unmanaged, it will become overwhelming.  You might say managing any kind of change, physical or monetary requires your constant attention.

Over these last few months, we’ve had a fair bit of change to deal with ourselves. We are getting more and more requests to look after our clients’ social media, we have a new guy on the ground in Montreal, an additional programmer and our long time head of promotions and administration just retired.

We’ve brought in Kate, who has years of experience in project management and the print industry. We are taking this opportunity to develop new systems to help us improve our efficiency and internal communications. I will be taking over some additional duties so that we can even out the workload. I’m looking forward to changing up my routine a little and seeing how the new hires all fit in. I’ll keep you posted with our progress…

I would just like to say, “Welcome aboard Nick, Kate and Rachael and all the best to you Robin, as you begin your retirement and a new life journey!”

I came to Toronto in the early eighties. I was a full time musician at that point in my life and against the advice of pretty much everyone I knew, I came to Toronto to give my music career another try. Not having any resources at the time, I needed to get to work immediately and I called on the one and only contact I had in Toronto. He connected me with someone in Bowmanville that needed a guitar player the very next day. For the next two years, I worked as a full-time sideman in various bands that played the local circuit.

At one point and time, I auditioned for two different groups on the same day (both with female vocalists). One was “blues” and about to tour Western Canada. The other was “country” and about to tour Eastern Canada. I nailed both auditions and could have had either gig. I struggled with the decision, but being from New Brunswick originally, I thought it made more sense to go east.

In short order, I ended up managing the band and supplying the truck and PA system. This extra responsibility and income soon turned into a liability when our crooked music agent took me for pretty much everything I had. I ended up marrying the female singer in that band, had two kids together, and the music career went on hold for 25 years. Two years ago I got back at it, on a part time basis and I’m having a hoot at it.

That decision to go east instead of west, almost 3 decades ago, certainly impacted my life in a big way.  I have made hundreds of life shaping decisions since then…we all have. It does make me think sometimes, that the deck of cards we are given are full of “wild cards” that we can choose to play or not. Maybe, the more wild cards we play, the more interesting our journey becomes.

 Lee’s Quote for the Day

“When you’re at a fork in the road and deciding whether to go left or right, every now and then, choose the direction that scares you the most, hang on tight and enjoy the ride.” 

So what’s the scoop? Advertising is still being sold aggressively and the book still appears to be pretty thick. I can understand bars, restaurants and the local payphone using them to a point but don’t most people have cell phones with internet access?

Yellow Pages can post big circulation numbers but actual usage? I still occasionally use the online version but I can’t remember the last time I cracked open the actual book. How about you? Is the horse dead or is it just not running at a full gallop? By the way, did you know the reason they are yellow?  A hundred years ago the printer ran out of white paper. How’s that for innovation?

As the internet and web continue to revolutionize how we communicate what lies ahead for the good old Yellow Pages. Does anybody out there use them as a reference? If you are still advertising in them can you trace business to it? Love to hear your thoughts.

Lee’s Quote for the Day

“Probably the biggest factor keeping the yellow pages alive is the fear of change and hanging on to the philosophy of “We’ve always done it that way”. It’s sad to see an icon disappear but I guess we will all share a time where we need to quietly ride off into the sunset.”

If you have an experienced team, the captain is only needed when you hit rough water. Steering the ship through a crisis is a learned skill set, sharpened by experience. Whether we have fallen into a leadership position, got forced into taking the helm or arrived at it by design, the short strokes are that every ship needs a captain and every project needs a champion. Why? Because there are always storms to navigate and only one person can make that decision. No two people are likely to approach the same set of circumstances in the same manner. As my older brother likes to say, “There are lots of right answers”.

When I started my business 24 years ago, my older brother’s advice was… don’t do it. He had been in business for a decade already and knew the perils I would face. I believe it was something I was meant to do and as I may have stated before, being overly optimistic and somewhat naive are fundamental qualities of being in business for yourself.

I’ve seen a lot of businesses fail. Solid companies with hard working owners – most spent too much money on the wrong things at the wrong time. Many fell behind with tax remittances. Some coasted when they should have forged ahead. Some forged ahead only to have a dramatic shift in technology or market conditions do them in. I feel very fortunate that my business is solid as we march into 2012.

For anyone thinking of starting their own business or are in business already and questioning their direction, here are 5 tips that people have shared with me and I know to be true:

1. Don’t bog yourself down with things you’re not good at. Hire the right people to fill the gaps.
2. Banks never give you money when you need it. Always increase your credit line when you don’t need it so that it’s there when you need it most.
3. Prepare yourself to work longer hours, take fewer vacations and have more stress than you will ever have working for someone else.
4. Prepare for the worst and expect the best is appropriate advice and trusting your instincts is critical to successful decision making.
5. Last but not least, the right decision is always the hardest until you make it… after you make it, you will wonder why you hadn’t done it sooner.

Lee’s quote for the day

“You’ll know when you’re going in the right direction by the number of hills you climb, obstacles you overcome and forks in the road that require decisions to be made.” 

How Sainsbury responded, is a textbook example of how other companies should handle customer service. The response isn’t dry, and stock. It’s a personalized response to the little girl, that uses language a three year old can understand. Also attached was a £3 (almost $5) gift card – enough to buy the bread and some sweets.

Lily’s mom posted the original response letter on her blog site, and though the response received some attention from blog sites, Twitter and Facebook, it really went viral of January of this year. The letter has been “Liked” nearly 150,000 times, and shared nearly 50,000 times on Facebook, and it’s been commented on thousands of times.

This simple act, of Sainsbury’s responding to a little girl, has generated a massive amount of publicity that would have otherwise cost thousands upon thousands of dollars for the company. Companies should not be afraid to embrace social media. A well laid out social media strategy will be a benefit to your company.

In the trucking industry for example, each major social media platform has its suitable uses. Facebook for example, is a great place for hiring drivers, as well as building company culture around your employees and your brand. LinkedIn is a great way to generate leads as well as network. Canadian carriers are under-utilizing social media, and it’s time for them to, get on board.

The timing was right. They all have confidence in their abilities and so do I. It is a necessary step in the sustainability of my company to have it run without me. What are the gaps they need to fill? What lessons can I learn from the exercise?

1-      No two people will ever approach solving a problem or answering a question the same way. As an owner or manager, we have to accept that things will not get done the way we would do it and that’s okay.

2-      Necessity is the mother of invention. People respond to pressure and deadlines. If we’re not there to deal with a situation, the need to resolve it will create a champion with a solution. The more it happens the better your team will be at the daily problem solving that arises.

3-       For the most part, I have a young team. Most are the age I was when I started my business. And they are all more capable in their respective duties than I was at their age. That is the fact I focused on to let go of the reins to this extent and feel comfortable doing so. Kind of a sink or swim, what’s the worst that could happen scenario.

4-      As managers, how can we effectively accomplish that task when we are caught up fully in the day to day? We may be the best problem solvers due to our experience level but what could we accomplish if we applied those same talents to investigating new products, processes and opportunities?

5-       I had my grandson here the first week of our holiday. He’s just shy of two and his key mission in life is to demand your undivided attention. If there is trouble he will find it. Babysitting is a key element of business too. Bringing on a new account or starting a new project can be all consuming. Find the equivalent of daycare for these types of business situations. Babysitting is okay on occasion, but don’t make a career of it, as you will accomplish nothing else.

When I’m back, one of the first things I’ll do is assess what the gaps were, if any, in my absence. That will be the first blog of 2012.

Have a great holiday season everyone!

 Lee’s Quote for the Day

“Say it can’t be done and that’s what will happen. Saying it can be done requires constant focus, self-belief, and tenacity. In other words, it’s much easier to talk ourselves out of it, than talk ourselves into it.”